01x08 : Mirror, mirror
by Gabrielle Henson
Summary: [8th episode in a series] Faith and Tara go for a distracting evening at the fair. They have no idea that the labyrinth they choose to enter is covered with mirrors not really reflecting what they're supposed to...
1. Teaser

_Disclaimer : Everyone knows who own Buffy and co ! Obviously, it's not me!_

_ The story is the eighth episode in a series called 'Rocky path' and begins around one year after 'Chosen'_

_( I strongly recommand to read the 7 first episodes to understand that one) _

_You can check the series out on my website  
_

_Please let me know what you think._

* * *

It was pitch dark. The sky was murky as a thick layer of clouds hid the stars and the moon. A light mist drifted around the impeccably lined up tombstones in some cemetery. An appropriate deathly silence was reigning over the place.

An absolute silence.

Well, almost absolute.

A partially held back sneeze pierced the peace of the place.

On one of the secondary paths, two figures - who were silently moving up to that point - stopped. The most forward of the two turned to her companion.

"God! Blondie! What did we say? You're gonna wake up the dead!" Faith exclaimed, rolling her eyes at Tara following her.

"I thought that was part of the plan." Tara said, trying to keep herself from sneezing again. "So-sorry Faith but it's freezing cold out here."

"Told you to put some more clothes on. You never listen to me."

"Like another tee shirt would have made a change" Tara replied, this time being the one rolling her eyes. "Why did you want me to come anyway?"

"You've been sleeping for days since our little trip in the mountains." Faith explained, appearing like she wasn't paying attention to Tara as she looked around carefully. "Figured you could use some fresh air."

"Of course," Tara replied. "In winter. In a cemetery. At night. In the middle of Montana."

"A Slayer idea," she then mumbled in a low voice.

"I heard you," Faith said casually, not turning towards her. "Slayer hearing. Never forget that."

She leaned nonchalantly against a tombstone a few feet away and gestured to Tara to keep quiet. Then she pointed to her feet.

"There," she whispered. "Don't move."

Tara looked at what Faith was showing her and understood what the Slayer meant when she saw the ground moving. She remained motionless a few meters away as she had been told.

A few moment later, a newly risen vampire rose from his tombstone. Faith let him get out partially before kneeling beside the man. He was in his midfifties. He was wearing a suit and a tie, and looked like the perfect bank clerk.

"Hey guy," Faith greeted casually. "Got some news for you."

The man turned to her with a confused look.

"Want me to go with the good or bad news first?" Faith went on.

She paused and smirked.

"Oh wait. Only bad news I think."

She paused again as the vampire frowned and finished getting out.

"So? Want me to start with the bad?" She asked.

"Or maybe the bad?" She added, looking like she was really wondering what to choose.

"So…"

She looked at the man brushing some dust off his suit.

"Bad news: you're a vampire," she announced seriously. "You know? Bloodsucking sort and fangs and all"

She paused again as the vampire looked at her with even more puzzlement in his eyes.

"But…" she resumed. "Even worst news here: I'm Faith, the vampire Slayer"

He frowned, perplexity painting over his face.

"What?" The vampire asked.

But he never got an answer. Faith held out her stake and plunged it in his heart. The vampire crumpled to dust at her feet.

Faith stood and went to Tara.

"God, I hate newbies. They're so boring," she said, putting her stake back into her jacket.

"What?" she added, looking up and noticing Tara looking at her strangely.

"What was that?" the blonde asked.

"What was what?" Faith replied in a bored tone.

"The 'I'm Faith, the vampire Slayer?'"

"Impressive stuff," Faith answered, shrugging. "It's a sort of trademark thing you know?"

Tara gave her a dumbfounded look and Faith rolled her eyes again.

"Was fun right?"

Tara arched a skeptical eyebrow and Faith shrugged once more.

"Whatever," she said. "C'mon"

Faith started to walk again and Tara followed.

"C'mon Blondie" Faith repeated.

"We aren't going back to the motel? I feel like it's been hours…"

"Want to find better than newbies before going to bed"

"Right,." Tara said in a bored tone. "Should have figured that out myself"

She crossed her arms over her chest, quickening her pace to catch up to the Slayer.

"So? Do you have an idea where you…"

"Shh!" Faith answered. "I think there's something right there"

Faith pointed somewhere in front of her.

"I feel my Slayer sense tingle," she said. "There are vampires nearby"

She speeded up a little and got her stake out of her jacket again. She suddenly stopped beside a row of cypresses around thirty feet further.

Behind the trees, a group of vampires were devouring victims.

"Oh Goddess," Tara breathed when she caught sight of the scene.

She turned around and she nearly threw up while Faith was closely examining the vampires.

"Stay here," she said, not looking at Tara. "I'm gonna take care of them."

"They're five of them," Tara protested.

"And?" Faith smirked. "I can handle five"

"You, just stay here," she added firmly. "Won't be long"

Faith just walked out of the shadow of the trees and headed toward the vampires.

"Hey guys," she said casually. "Party's over"

The vampires stopped their current activity and looked up towards Faith. The Slayer didn't add anything else and lunged at them with her stake in hand.

She almost knocked two of them to the ground with her first kicks then fiercely engaged the three remaining ones. One crumpled to dust a second after as she plunged her stake in his heart. The second one tried to attack her on her left side as she was dusting his companion but Faith saw him coming out of the corner of her eye. She struck back and drew her dagger at lightning speed with her left hand and chopped his head off. She turned to the third and rained blows on his face.

She was ready to finish him off when she heard Tara's voice calling out to her.

"F-Faith! Watch o-out!" 

The Slayer turned around and found herself facing one of the two vampires she had knocked _down_ before. He hit her hard in her face but Faith had time to push him back away from her with a kick and turning towards Tara as she fell to the ground. The blonde had gotten out of the shadows of the trees and she was staring at her. Faith silently cursed the witch when she saw the remaining vampires heading toward Tara.

She quickly got to her feet and called out to the demons.

"Hey guys! I'm over here! I'm not finished with you!"

They turned briefly to her and looked at her blankly. Then they turned away to face Tara. The witch didn't make a sound as they came closer and closer. The look on her face was somewhere between focused and terrified. Faith ran as fast as she could to close the distance to the vampires. She dusted two of them before they realized she was even there.

As the third was raising his fangs to Tara's neck, Faith could hear the witch trying to pronounce words in Latin. But nothing happened. The Slayer grabbed the vampire by his shoulders to pull him away, turned him around while taking advantage of his surprise and plunged her stake into his heart.

It had lasted less than a second.

Tara let out a deep sigh as the vampire disappeared to dust in front of her and sketched a smile to her savior.

"Th-thank y…" Tara began.

"God, Blondie!" Faith interrupted. "What did I say?"

Faith was now gesturing to the trees behind them.

"I told you to hide. I thought it was a plan simple enough for you to follow. You could have easily been killed. Be more careful."

Tara crossed her arms over her chest and looked down for a few seconds.

"Well…" she said after a silence. "I wanted to help. I warned you…"

"Yeah" Faith said in a mocking tone. "You warned me. God, I sometimes wonder what I would do without you"

"You'd be bored,"

Faith turned to Tara with much surprise. She hadn't expected the blonde to reply.

"Well," she said with a half smile. "That's it. I'd be bored. Like I could be more bored than I already am."

"Think about it" Tara said and Faith frowned even more in surprise. "All alone, killing vampires without distraction. It could be a lot worse"

"Oh yeah," Faith said and she rolled her eyes. "I often think about this. It could be a lot worse than it is."

She paused and looked like she was giving some thought to the matter.

"Well, I could have had a mother who loved me."

"I would have gone to high school and I could have become a real bitch without any sense of what it is to protect the world. Only interested in…"

She paused, thinking about it.

"…in hair and clothes and boys. A true high school bitch. Like in the movies"

"Or, I could've never been called to be the Slayer. And I would have ended up in jail anyway."

"And you" she said after a pause. "Think about it. You've got the real opportunity to hit the road with a hottie. Instead of this, you could have not been killed in the first place. You would have lived with Willow and got bored with your life."

"Yeah," She concluded with a serious nod. "You're right. Things could have gone a lot worse than they did"


	2. Act 1

**  
**

The room was dark, save for the light of the moon shining through the half-drawn curtains. Its pale light revealed a small spartan motel room. A bed and a table were the only furniture. The walls were whitewashed and there was no decoration of any kind. There wasn't even a washbasin, a dresser or a chair.

Two female figures were sleeping on each side of a rather large bed, which was occupying most of the entire room. One of them was curled up on the edge, almost ready to fall. The other was lying on her back with her right arm hanging down along the mattress, her hand nearly touching the floor.

Both girls appeared to sleep peacefully.

An alarm clock rang suddenly and Faith jerked awake. She eagerly hit her mobile phone - responsible for the alarm - and silence came back to the room. Beside her, Tara mumbled something and turned to her.

"What's up Faith?" the blonde asked in a sleepy voice. "What time is it?"

Faith sat completely up and rubbed her eyes before answering.

"Go back to sleep Blondie" she said. "It's five in the morning. Time for me to go to work"

She pushed herself off the bed and stretched. Then, she rummaged in her bag lying at her feet.

"Remember that little job I got?" She asked. "It's time."

Tara turned frankly to her as Faith was putting some clothes on.

"We-we came back from p-patrol only a few h-hours ago. You've g-got to be t-tired," the witch said.

Faith couldn't help but grinning.

"Well…" she began as she laced her boots. "First, Slayer here."

Her voice sounded more serious when she added:

"Second, we do need that money."

She looked up at Tara.

"Remember: you told me yesterday that I need regular meals. And we don't have much money left for that."

"Food won't come out of thin air," she explained as Tara went on looking at her without any change in her expression. "Nor free"

She stood as she was done with her boots and took a stake and a knife from the table and put them into her jacket.

"And third," she said finally in a lighter tone, checking around to see if she hadn't forgotten something. "I'll get a nap this afternoon"

She went to the door and added as she put her hand on the doorknob:

"I'll be back around noon Blondie. You, go back to sleep"

Then, she exited the room without giving Tara time to reply. The blonde watched her disappearing, and then listened carefully to her footsteps fading in the corridor.

When she wasn't able to hear the Slayer at all anymore, she lay back in the center of the bed and closed her eyes to finish sleeping.

* * *

Faith pushed open the door of the motel room at twelve on the dot. The air outside was chilly despite a beautiful blue sky and the Slayer appreciated the warmth inside.

The brunette closed the door behind her and glanced around the room. The curtains were wide-open and the bed was made. Rays of sunshine nicely bathed the room. Tara was up, showered and clothed. The witch turned to her when she came in and gave her a hint of a half-smile to acknowledge her presence.

She was standing near the little table and was obviously taking care of lunch. Faith slipped her jacket off and threw it casually on the bed. Then she came to the table and took a look at what Tara was doing.

"What's this?" the Slayer asked.

"L-lunch" Tara replied without looking up.

"I can see that," Faith answered with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "What did you do?"

"Well, I went across the street to get a few treats at the deli"

"I thought we talked about this" Faith said. "I don't think we can afford that kind of meal."

"We can," Tara shot back. "You really need to eat better than you usually do. And you're working for the whole week."

"You know, lifting some boxes won't exactly make me a millionaire" Faith replied.

She rummaged through her jeans' pockets and she pulled out some notes she threw onto the table. She sighed with a defeated expression and let herself fall on the mattress.

"I asked to be paid daily," she explained. "It's not that much"

Tara glanced quickly at the money, then at Faith with something on her face that Faith supposed was an unsuccessful try at a smile.

"It's just for today," the blonde stated. "We'll go back to cheaper stuff tomorrow"

"Yeah, right" Faith said.

She pushed herself to the head of the bed and leaned against the wall.

"Y-you tired?" Tara asked a little later, coming to her with a Tupperware and a plastic fork.

"A little" Faith replied quickly, grabbing what Tara was handing to her. "I'll have a nap after lunch"

Then, Tara sat at the foot of the bed with her own Tupperware. This one was far less filled than Faith's and the Slayer had already gulped down half of her plate while Tara had just had a few mouthfuls.

"You don't sleep much lately" Tara commented. "May-maybe you sh-should sleep more"

"I'll sleep this afternoon," Faith repeated. "Stop that Blondie"

Tara looked down at her plate and slowly swallowed a new mouthful.

"I-I'm trying to h-help" the witch whispered.

"Yeah, I know" Faith said simply.

They both went back to their lunch and silence fell over the room. Only chewing sounds were audible for a few minutes. After some internal debate, Faith eventually looked up from her meal and tentatively asked:

"So, Blondie," she began and she appeared to search for her words. "You look to be doing better"

Tara looked up with surprise and frowned.

"Yeah, yeah," she answered hesitantly. "I guess…"

"So, what?" Faith pressed.

"So, what what?"

"What are you gonna do?" the Slayer asked.

Tara's face crumpled at the question and she looked hurt for a moment. Faith noticed and she tried to backpedal.

"It's not that I want to get rid of you or something." The brunette explained. "Just wondering you know. If you had an idea…"

Tara nodded then shrugged. Faith glanced at her from the corner of her eye before adding carefully:

"You can stick with me as long as you need to. It's just... I was wondering about Willow and stuff…"

Tara's eyes narrowed and she let go of her fork.

"W-what a-about W-Wi-Willow?" she stuttered.

"Well, you two… I sort of figured…"

Faith fell silent for a moment, looking like she was searching how to put in words what she had in mind.

"I kind of understood that Willow was concerned by your return. I thought you two would reunite at some point." Faith explained. "But… Maybe it's still too soon."

Tara looked at the Slayer in silence for a moment, with a rather puzzled expression and trying to sort out what she had just said.

"She doesn't w-want to s-see m-me." she said after a long time.

"Well… it was some time ago. Maybe she changed her mind" replied Faith.

Tara shrugged and looked down again, a look of utter sadness and confusion on her face.

"She made a new life," she whispered. "I'm not sure I would fit"

"I'm not even sure she still loves me," she added in a lower voice after a pause.

"She still loves you. Buffy told you that. She needs some time."

"Time? How would Buffy know about this? She was so sure that having me back was what Willow wanted. But it wasn't. And I'm still here.

"And I'm nothing again. Goddess…" she added after another pause. "On the road with a former psycho Slayer who doesn't know anything else than slaying."

"You had a choice" Faith replied, ignoring Tara's comment about her. "Buffy wanted you to go to Rome with her and Dawn. They love you like a sister. They told you this. They wanted you to come and live with them."

"For what?" Tara shot back. "Seeing the guilt in their eyes every day of my life? Being a burden for them?"

"Being a burden for ME doesn't bother you.

Once more, Tara looked hurt but she didn't reply. Faith felt inexplicably bad and sighed with annoyance at the look of pain painted on Tara's face.

"Well…" she said in a soother tone. "It's getting better Blondie. I'm sure I might eventually start to like you at some point."

Only silence answered.

"And you should think about it another way. Just like you told me: it could be a lot worse. You've been given a second chance. It doesn't happen very often from what I know

"Yeah, right," Tara said in a dark, totally unconvinced tone.

"And…" Faith added in a cheerful voice. "You've got somewhere to sleep, something to eat and a hottie to take care of you. Told you it could be worse"

Tara looked up at Faith with a hint of a grimace she had probably intended to be a smile.

"Thanks." she whispered.

Faith shrugged casually at this and swallowed the last mouthful in her plate before saying:

"I'm trying"

"I'm fine." Tara replied and tried again – still unsuccessfully- to smile. "I'm fine," she repeated.

Faith nodded and started to clean the bottom of her Tupperware.

"All right then."

When she had nothing more to eat, she got up from the bed and went to the table where she left her plate and fork. She went to the window and looked outside for a few seconds before turning to Tara who was still sitting on the bed.

"Well, I saw a sign saying there's a fair in town" she said, leaning against the window frame. "We could check it out, what d'ya think?"

Tara shrugged, obviously indifferent to the news.

"We can use some distraction," Faith went on. "That'll be a different sort of evening out"

She paused and looked like she was giving some thought to the matter.

"Well, even if I'm pretty sure it will be a nest of vampires." She paused again. "Which won't be so much of a change. But that's my job, right?"

* * *

The lights and noises of the fair were not far as Faith and Tara walked along the deserted streets. Night had fallen an hour ago and stars shone in the clear sky. Strands of lights hung festively above the streets as a reminder of Christmas to come. Children's shouts and laughter could be heard in the distance among the background noise of the fair. The air was chilly and a slight wind was sweeping the sidewalks.

As usual, Faith was walking in the lead, attentive to her surroundings, ready to face any threat. Tara was on her heels, with her arms tightly wrapped around her chest, deeply lost in thought. The blonde wasn't very enthusiastic about going to the fair but Faith had so strenuously insisted that she had finally given up.

For the hundredth time that evening, Tara shivered with cold and she opened her mouth for the first time since they had left:

"Why on earth did you want me to come along?" she asked. "It's freezing."

Faith stopped and turned to her.

"Please Blondie, it's a beautiful night. You never see anything else other than motels rooms and cemeteries. It'll be a change."

"You'll kill vampires at the fair instead of killing vampires in a cemetery. That's a change?" Tara replied in a mocking tone as she stopped beside Faith.

"And do I have to remind you that last time you took me out, we got lost in the mountains for a night."

"Girl's got a point," Faith grinned. "But hey, good news here: no mountain around. And I'm pretty sure we can't get lost in here. Well, there's just…"

Faith turned left then right before looking at Tara again.

"Something like twenty streets here. We should be able to handle that"

Tara rolled her eyes and resumed walking.

"Well, I guess." she said simply.

Faith caught up to her with just two steps.

"Don't go too far from me," she said, suddenly serious again. "Avoid dark corners and don't talk to people sporting fangs."

She paused and considered the pouting blonde for a second.

"Well, you never talk to anyone. Should be a plus to keep you alive."

"Faith, we're going to a fair, not to a massacre."

"Right." Faith answered, still looking straight in front of her where the fair was. "I feel my Slayer sense tingle. There's something unnatural around here. Maybe vamps, maybe something else. Keep your eyes open."

Tara nodded and both girls resumed walking toward the fair.

"Well, try to have some fun anyway Blondie. I'll take care of the supernatural stuff. Just be careful and listen to me."

Tara didn't answer and the girls finally reached the fair.

It was surprisingly big and crowded compared to the size of the town. Faith supposed that all the surrounding villages were gathering here tonight. Children were running around as families and couples were quietly strolling between the merry-go-rounds. A kid almost lost his cotton candy on Tara's jeans but Faith reacted quickly enough to avoid the disaster. The Slayer frowned at the boy, put the saved candy back into his hands and he disappeared with a quick "thanks" as fast as he had appeared.

The girls had to refuse many invitations to play some games from the carnies. Faith wouldn't have minded stopping at the shooting range to impress some guy with her Slayer ability but they desperately needed to save money. So she kept her wish in check and they just wandered through the fair among the crowd.

It was almost half an hour during which they hadn't exchanged a word when Tara finally asked:

"No vampires around?"

Faith almost jumped when she heard her voice. She turned to her surprised and shook her head.

"I don't think so," she replied. "But I still feel something weird around here."

Tara shivered and looked around as if to check if the brunette was right.

"What kind of thing?" she asked finally.

"Dunno," Faith answered, shrugging nonchalantly. "Something."

Tara rolled her eyes but kept quiet. They went on wandering through the fair, taking a look at each stall. Faith went from time to time behind one of them to check if vampires were not hidden in the shadows, waiting for a prey.

Saving the boss of a candy stall earned her a giant bag of sweets she was all too happy to receive.

"If you don't take something quickly Blondie," Faith said a while later with her mouth full as they reached the end of the fair, "There won't be nothing left"

"No thank you," the blonde replied. "I don't really like them."

"God Blondie, do you ever think of having fun?" Faith asked as she put some more candies into her mouth.

"Well…" Tara said. "No." She concluded after a pause.

"Right," Faith said between two sweets. "I noticed that"

Silence came back between them and slowly surrounded the girls as the noise of the fair was fading away. The last stalls were beginning to close or trying to catch the passers-bys' attention.

"Good evening girls."

Faith looked up from her sweets bag to see a man standing next to her, smiling. He was too old for her to guess his age. Two of his upper teeth were missing, he was half-bald and his remaining hair was gray, long and greasy. His skin was tanned and wrinkled and many deep furrows marked his features. He didn't look clean and Faith could smell the stench of alcohol around him. She felt Tara tense behind her.

"It's still early girls," the man resumed. "I'm sure you still have time for a last game"

"Don't waste your time," Faith said quickly. "We don't have money"

"You don't?" the man asked in a mocking tone. "That's a shame"

"Yeah, right" Faith answered in a bored tone.

She took a step to get away but the man stepped in front of her.

"You really should check my booth out," he added seriously. "It's worth the ride, I promise."

"We don't have any money," Faith repeated.

"Just take a look." He insisted.

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Faith with a smile. He suddenly appeared a lot more sober to the Slayer.

"Your friend and you look like you could use some fun. You won't regret it, I promise."

"We don't have any…" Faith began once more.

"I heard you," the man interrupted.

"It's free for you," he added a second later. "You REALLY looked like you can use some fun."

Faith frowned and looked suspiciously at him. She opened her mouth to say something but he was quicker and raised her hands in front of him as if to surrender.

"I had a great day. I don't need your money," he explained. "And you're two hotties. Just come and take a look."

Faith kept on staring at him but didn't make a move to agree and follow the man.

"Come on," the man insisted. "It's just there. It won't be long, you'll have fun!"

Faith looked where he was pointing and sighed, as he was about to speak again.

"For God's sake, stop talking," she said. "We're coming."

She turned to Tara and saw the blonde narrowing her eyes at her. There was a hint of an apologetic smile as Faith bent toward the blonde to whisper in her ear:

"Don't worry Blondie, we check this out and then we'll go home. It won't take long. And it's free. We can't say no to something free, right?"

Tara rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Right," she replied in a defeated tone. "Let's go."

The man smiled broadly, showing them his missing teeth.

"Come with me," he said and turned round, gesturing for them to follow.

They did. A few feet away, on the other side of the street, he stopped in front of a door of a newly built structure. Just a wooden chair was there, under a painted sign on the white wall, saying "the paths of possibility".

"What's this?" Faith asked as the man went to the door and put his hand on the doorknob.

"It's a labyrinth," came the answer in a casual voice.

"A labyrinth?" Faith repeated.

"You know, a place made of a complicated series of paths, which it is difficult to find your way through"

"I know what a labyrinth is" Faith replied, annoyed.

"Well, you know what the goal is in there then," The man smirked.

Faith turned curiously toward him:

"So, that's it?" she asked. "We have to find our way through the labyrinth?"

"That's it." The man nodded with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Do you think you can?"

"Of course we can," Faith snorted. "I guess we have to do it as quickly as possible?"

"That's the plan," the stallholder replied. "You can try."

"Well, get ready to see the quickest crossing of your labyrinth you'll ever get to see."

"Ready Blondie?" she asked, turning to Tara.

Tara nodded indifferently and followed the Slayer closely as she crossed the door the man had just opened for them.

"Have fun." The witch heard as the door closed behind them.


	3. Act 2

The door closed and the girls found themselves in a shadowy corridor. They stayed a few minutes just standing there, waiting for their eyes to get used to the darkness.

The corridor was short and narrow. The walls were smooth and grey. The ceiling was low. In front of the girls was a door just like the one they had just gone through.

Faith and Tara looked at each other and headed for the door silently. Faith pushed it open a second later and both girls were almost blinded by a bright light. They had to close their eyes and to re-open them slowly to become accustomed to this sudden brightness.

"Oh God…" whispered Faith when she was able to look around.

"Goddess…" added Tara in her turn.

They were now in another corridor, completely different from the one they had just left behind. It was much longer, brightly lit, and they could see several intersections in the distance.

Here, the walls and the ceiling were totally made with mirrors.

Faith and Tara were surrounded by reflections of themselves.

"Goddess…" Tara repeated.

Faith examined the mirrors sending her back her image for several minutes before turning to Tara:

"Damn guy didn't tell us about the mirror part of the deal." the Slayer grumbled.

Tara walked several feet away from Faith, looking distractedly at the mirrors around and above her.

"Wanna go back?" the blonde asked, turning to the brunette.

Faith frowned and shrugged.

"Of course not," she said after a silence. "I said we'd find our way through this labyrinth and we will."

She caught up to Tara and both girls started to advance up the corridor.

"So, what's up with the mirror part?" the witch asked.

Faith sighed. She stopped again and opened her arms in front of her in a dramatic gesture.

"Look around you," she said pointing at the mirrors surrounding them. "It's a labyrinth. A labyrinth of mirrors. Just me, myself and you. Sounds like the best day ever." She finished ironically and eagerly stressed 'ever'.

"It could be worse." Tara declared casually.

"Worse?" Faith asked in a disbelieving tone. "Worse than being trapped in here with you, surrounded by my own reflection?"

"It could be just you and yourself y'know." Tara grinned.

"Uh?" grimaced Faith.

Tara's hint of smile vanished from her face as she saw the Slayer's expression.

"I… I w-was t-trying to be funny," the blonde explained. "But obviously I wasn't."

Faith looked dumbfounded for a few seconds.

"Well…" she began carefully. "I'd say you need some more practice."

Tara didn't answer and the girls resumed walking along the corridor in silence.

"I'm getting weird vibes," Faith announced a few moments later, as they reached the first intersection.

Tara nodded and moved instinctively closer to Faith.

"I feel them too," the witch said. "What do you th-think it-it is?"

Faith shrugged to show she had no idea.

"Dunno," she confirmed. "It's not a presence or something. It's just…" she paused and appeared to search for the right word. "… weird," she finished, nothing better coming to mind.

"May… maybe we really should go back?" Tara suggested.

Faith seemed to give that idea some thought but finally shook her head.

"No," she said. "I'm the Slayer. I wanna find out what's going on here."

Tara opened her mouth to say something but finally kept quiet. She wrapped her arms around her body and glanced around several times before asking:

"So, what now?"

Faith looked at each side of the intersection and observed that the new corridors were covered with mirrors as well. Many other intersections were visible further on.

"Great!" she exclaimed. "What do you wanna choose? Mirrors or mirrors?"

"Mirrors maybe?" Tara replied hesitantly.

Faith turned to her and rolled her eyes when she noticed the almost grinning expression on the witch's face.

"Thanks Tara. You're helping." Faith replied in a half-amused, half-annoyed tone.

The Slayer then turned again to each side of the intersection, trying to determine which direction was the right one. As her eyes travelled along the reflective surfaces, something suddenly caught her attention. Faith's eyes focused on a point in the mirror on her left and she frowned. She looked at her boots carefully, then at their reflection in front of her. Something was strange but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She looked up slowly from her feet's reflection up to her legs, her hips, her torso, her face.

Her mouth opened wide in surprise.

In the mirror in front of her stood Faith. But instead of being the perfect reflection she was expecting, the girl in front of her was different. It was indubitably her features, her look but her clothes were different, her hairstyle was different and the grin on her face was definitely different.

Faith checked her reflection again. She blinked to clear her vision but when she opened her eyes again, the girl in front of her hadn't changed.

"Tara," she said, turning to the blonde. "Can you see that?"

She pointed at her reflection in the mirror. Tara turned to what Faith was showing her and frowned.

"Wh-what?" the blonde asked, obviously not understanding.

"Me!" Faith exclaimed, gesturing to her reflection in the mirror. "Look at this, damn it!"

"Wh-what?" Tara repeated.

Faith looked between her reflection and the blonde, upset that she didn't see what the Slayer wanted her to see.

"Me, damn it! It's me but not me!"

Again, Tara turned to Faith's reflection in the mirror. She looked closely at it and her face turned pale a few seconds later.

"Goddess…" she whispered.

Her gaze was now glued to the image in front of her and Faith asked excitedly:

"You can see it, can't you? I'm different!" an agitated Faith exclaimed. "See, not the same clothes, not the same hair, but it looks like me!"

"N-no, F-Faith… You're the same." Tara said, finally looking away from the mirror.

"What?" Faith asked. "Why have you turned so pale then?"

"You're the same," repeated the blonde. "But I am different."

"What?"

Faith looked again at the reflection in front of her. She still saw herself grinning back at herself with her hair in a bun, spotless tight blue jeans and a short grey nylon jacket with a fur collar she was sure she would never wear. She looked down to her own worn leather jacket and her dirty jeans as if to be sure she was still wearing them. Beside that version of herself, the Tara she could see perfectly mirrored the one standing at her right.

"You're not…" the Slayer whispered in a low voice, looking at Tara.

"God! What's up with this damn labyrinth!" she sighed a few seconds later.

"Well, I think we know what's weird in here now…" the witch said.

Faith shrugged and her eyes returned to the mirror in front of her. She felt strangely attracted to that smiling version of herself and was just unable to look away from that vision.

For a moment, she forgot about Tara beside her. She forgot about the labyrinth she was supposed to find her way through. She forgot about everything.

There was just one thing she wanted to know now, as she couldn't look away from her mirrored self: why was she smiling that way?

As the question emerged in her blurry mind, the vision in front of her changed. The grinning Faith that was supposed to be her reflection turned her head as if she had been called and a landscape suddenly appeared around her. Night, moon, trees and a house at her back.

* * *

The night sky was an inky black and it would probably have been impossible to see a thing if it wasn't for the nearly full moon and the thousands of stars shining in the sky. The air was cool but it was pretty much nice considering the fact it was December. A slight breeze was blowing and lifting the leaves of the trees edging the Restfield cemetery.

A loud crash immediately followed by screaming suddenly pierced the silence reigning over the place.

"Faith!" hissed a high-pitched female voice. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Slaying vampires!" came the reply in a cheerful tone. "Isn't it my job?"

In the north-west corner of the cemetery, two young women were fighting three tall and strong creatures who appeared to be vampires. One of the girls was blonde, short and thin while the other was a little taller, dark-haired and more athletic. The fight probably looked unfair considering the girls' size compared to their opponents. But it was not. The girls even got the better of their enemies quickly; and soon, there was just one remaining. He let escape a frustrated growl when he realized he was alone and considered the smirking women in front of him for a second before scampering off.

When he was around thirty feet away, the blonde threw the wooden stake she was holding at full force toward his back. It lodged itself precisely in the center of his heart and the vampire crumpled to dust.

"B!" exclaimed the brunette in an irritated tone. "Was my turn!"

"Faith, are you suffering some sort of unknown disease that prevents you from remembering my full name?" the blonde asked calmly as she checked herself out. "I'm the eldest, I'm the one…"

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed without finishing what she was about to say. "Look at this!"

She raised her right arm under her companion's nose and gestured to her to look at the torn sleeve of her red leather jacket.

"Can you believe this?" she went on in a defeated tone. "I bought this jacket less than a month ago!"

The brunette grinned, obviously amused by her friend's demeanour.

"Mine is fine." she announced as she checked out her own jacket, this one being grey and made from nylon.

"How's that?" whined the blonde. "Usually, you're the one tearing your clothes apart."

"Dunno," replied Faith. "Maybe it has something to do with luck?" she suggested.

"Or…" emphasized the short blonde, "…it has to do with the fact that you should have backed me up instead of engaging the third vampire."

"God, B…uffy," Faith corrected herself. "You keep telling me you can handle yourself. You could handle yourself on that one. It was more important to catch the third."

"No, you know the rules," protested Buffy. "First, back up your team and second – only second – engage new enemy."

"Well, you forgot something about the rule," replied Faith. "The first rule is: back up your team IN NEED. You didn't need my help on that one."

"Obviously, my jacket did," pouted the blonde Slayer.

Faith's grin got wider at the blonde's admission.

"Woo! You're admitting I'm right!" Faith whistled with fake admiration. "I can't believe it!"

"But hey, wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now: either you admit you needed my help – and you hate admitting you need my help- or you admit I was right on the rules part – and you hate admitting I'm right on the rules part. God, how hard it would be to be Buffy Summers right now!"

"Faith, if you keep making fun of me, I really might slay you!"

"Hum…" A new voice interrupted. "Girls, I'm not certain this quarrelling is necessary."

Buffy turned around at lightning speed to face the newcomer. A man and a woman in their early fifties were standing there, both of them generously engulfed in their coats.

"Giles," Buffy resumed. "What do you think? Wasn't Faith supposed to help me against the taller one before attacking the third one?"

"Not that I needed her help," she added quickly. "But, you know, in theory?"

"Hum…" began the Watcher hesitantly. "I…"

"Well, Buffy, I'm not sure we can say you really needed help here. To me, you looked like you were able to handle that particular fight by yourself." said the woman with an apologetic smile to the blonde.

"Tada!" exclaimed Faith in a victorious tone. "See? I was right!"

"Miss Marple is your Watcher Faith," Buffy said. "Of course she's backing you up in this. Which…" she turned to Giles suspiciously. "… is not what MY own Watcher is doing!"

"Hum…" Giles tried again. "I'm trying to do my job the best I can and…"

"Giles is backing up Miss Marple!" Faith exclaimed, grinning widely at Buffy, like a kid.

"Yeah, right," Buffy pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here by the way?" she asked in a more serious tone.

"Obviously we're having a walk at night in a cemetery." Giles replied.

"We're still your Watchers ladies," Miss Marple explained. "So we came to check on you."

"We don't need to be looked after," Buffy said seriously. "You, on the other hand…"

"It's not too bright to come here by yourself at night," Faith added. "You should know this."

"Well, we're really touched by your attention and worry," Giles began.

"But we're not totally helpless," went on Miss Marple.

"And we knew we would find you both here," Giles specified.

"Which we're happy we did," finished the other Watcher.

"That's right," confirmed the Briton. "Not that we needed your help."

"You, on the contrary…"

Faith and Buffy exchanged a knowing glance at the scolding tone of their Watchers.

"What's up with the 'we need to be two to make a whole sentence'?" Faith ironically asked.

"Your fighting abilities are weakening." Giles asserted.

"Weakening!?" exclaimed both Slayers in unison. "How's that?"

"We're not weakening," protested Faith.

"Well, it's not our f…." began Buffy.

"Hey! You!" interrupted a female voice.

The small group turned around to where the sound had come from and Giles rolled his eyes when he recognized Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris standing a few feet away The newcomers with huge grins on their faces quickly closed the distance to the Slayers and Watchers. Xander offered everyone popcorn from the giant bowl he was holding and Faith and Buffy were happy to accept.

"Good timing X-man," Faith said as she gulped down her first handful.

"What are you doing here by yourselves?" Buffy said, narrowing her eyes at them and with hands on her hips. "Is the new fun thing in Sunnydale to walk at night in cemeteries?"

"Relax Buff," Xander said casually. "With Will and her giant fireballs, I'm all protected and stuff."

"Remind me why I'm going on patrol with YOU and not with her?" Buffy asked Faith with a fake smirk on her face.

"It's her night off." Faith replied.

Willow smiled proudly before adding:

"With two Slayers around, there's not too many baddies who dare go out at night lately!" she cheerfully exclaimed. "And since Faith's dusted Spike and we've defeated Glory, who would challenge you two?"

"Yeah, you're right, it's pretty much safe around here now." Faith said.

"Well, before you interrupted us," Giles scolded Willow and Xander. "We were precisely talking about this."

"Precisely?" Buffy arched a skeptical eyebrow.

"Where are your girls and little Sum?" Faith asked without listening to Giles at all.

Giles frowned severely at the dark-haired Slayer and even more a second later when Buffy turned away from him to face Willow.

"What did you do with my sister?"

"She's doing math," replied Xander as the group started to walk along the cemetery main path. "At your place. With Tara and Anya."

"My sister's a brain. Why would she doing math with Tara and Anya?"

"Well, Buffy, y'know…" began Willow carefully. "Dawn's more interested in boys than math lately…"

"Oh yeah!" Buffy exclaimed. "And here I'm wondering who's at fault!" she added, turning an accusatory glance to Faith.

"Hey!" Faith protested, raising her hands as if to surrender. "Don't look at me like this! I'm not guilty for everything!"

"You're a bad influence." Buffy stated.

"Anyway." Faith shrugged. "You don't have to worry. I'll teach her about boys and Anya and Tar will do the math part. Then she'll get a complete education."

She paused then turned to Willow with a puzzled expression.

"Wait, you said that Anya was doing math with lil' Sum?" Faith asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Well, I think she's more on the learning side of the deal." Xander informed her.

"So, are we done for tonight?" Buffy asked as they reached the cemetery's main entrance.

"I guess we are," Faith replied.

She turned to the cemetery, appeared to breathe in the air and finally shrugged.

"We slayed four vampires and a demon tonight. Was a big night. I'm not sure there's a demon left in here."

"I believe Faith might be right," Giles added. "The nights should be quiet for a few days."

"So, what are we doing?" Xander asked.

"You can all drop in at home," Faith suggested. "We'll order some pizzas. And I think there's a giant tub of ice-cream left."

"I call that a miracle." Giles mumbled.

"I heard you G-man," Faith grinned. "Slayer's hearing. Are you in?"

"Pizzas and ice-cream with all of you?" Giles ironically asked. "What a delightful evening you're offering!"

"I do not believe I'll attend, Faith," Miss Marple said. "I am going to return home."

"Oh! Sara!" Faith complained. "You can't do that to me! Mom hasn't seen you in a while, you have to come!"

"Your mother is at home?"

"Yeah," Faith said, rolling her eyes. "Waiting for me to come back safe and sound."

"Perhaps your mother will not be pleased to have all of us over at such a late hour." Giles commented.

"Don't worry, Giles." The dark-haired Slayer replied. "She's used to see the gang scarfing down our ice-cream after patrol."

"C'mon G-Man." She insisted. "She'll even make you some tea."

"If there's tea then…"

"Sara?" Faith asked, turning hopefully to her Watcher. "You coming?"

"If Rupert's coming," giggled the woman. "Then I'll be happy to visit with your mom."

"Great!" Faith said happily. "Everybody's in?" She asked then, turning to the younger members of the group.

"Ice-cream and pizzas at Faith's?" summed up Xander. "Sounds like a plan."

He put his arm on Faith's shoulder and they all walked out of the cemetery.

"We're following you Slayer!" He said emphatically.

Faith smiled and walked in the lead with Buffy beside her.

They reached Faith's house less than ten minutes later. The house was three blocks from Buffy's, located at the back of a small street. It was smaller and older than the Summers' but really well decorated, especially around Christmas.

Faith climbed the steps leading to the nicely lit porch in front of the house. She opened the door and gestured to the group to follow.

"Mom? It's me!"

As she entered the small lobby, a woman came from a door on the right. She was as tall as Faith but thinner. She looked like an older version of the dark-haired Slayer.

"Faith! Are you ok?"

Faith rolled her eyes and mumbled something like "five by five Mum" as the others couldn't help but giggling. Then she left for the kitchen as her mother welcomed the group. She obviously knew and appreciated each of them very well.

"And you Buffy? Are you hurt?"

The blonde Slayer shook her head but found it comforting to complain about her torn sleeve to her friend's mother.

"I'll see if I can do something about that." She answered warmly after examining the jacket carefully.

"Sara! Rupert!" she exclaimed with obvious pleasure when they came inside in their turn as the Scooby gang entered the living room. "I hope she didn't give you a hard time…Sometimes she can be…"

"Mom!" Faith yelled from the kitchen. "I can hear you!"

Her mother grinned and gestured to Sara and Giles to follow her into the living room where Buffy, Willow and Xander – obviously used to the place – were already slouched on the sofa.

Faith returned to the room a little while later, carrying a tray with a steaming pot and cups.

"Here's the tea," she announced. "I made it so I can't guarantee anything."

"Well, it's just boiling water Faith," Giles remarked.

"I'm not sure she can even boil water!" Faith's mother grinned.

"Hey!" Faith exclaimed.

"Don't 'hey' us!" replied Buffy. "You know you can't."

Faith pouted and was about to answer but Willow spoke first:

"That's not something you should be ashamed of. I think it's a Slayer thing."

"Hey!" Buffy protested.

"I researched it!" Willow explained.

"What?" Faith asked in a dumbstruck tone. "You researched the fact that Slayers can't cook?"

Willow nodded proudly and Faith remained looking at her disbelievingly for a time.

"God." She concluded.

"Well," interrupted Xander. "Will, Slayers can't cook, that's a point. But can they order pizzas?"

A cushion flew through the air and landed on Xander's face.

"It's already done." Faith said and grinned at him. "And there's TWO giant tubs of ice-cream left."

"Double miracle," Giles mumbled and sipped from his cup of tea Faith had just handed to him.

She then offered one to her own Watcher before slumping heavily on the sofa between Buffy and Xander.

Nearly two hours passed by between pizzas, ice-cream, tea and bad jokes before Giles suggested it was time to leave the Lehanes alone. After a lot of thank you's, everyone was at the door, ready for departure.

"Need me to walk someone home?" Faith asked.

"Nope," Buffy replied. "Gonna take care of that."

"It's very kind of you Faith," Giles answered. "But as you said earlier, it's rather safe around here right now. We should be able to manage."

"Right." Faith nodded. "Good night then."

"'Night Faith." They all echoed. "Thanks, Mrs Lehane."

"And don't be late for class tomorrow." Buffy grinned. "Mr. Johnson hates it when you're late!"

Faith grinned back and stood on the porch looking at the group moving away while her mother went inside and began to clean up the living room.

"So, are you sure you're okay?" she asked Faith while doing so.

Faith rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I'm fine Mom," she said in a bored tone. "Nothing big tonight."

"You were late tonight," her mother explained. "I was worried."

"You're ALWAYS worried," Faith grumbled.

"I'm your mother, it's perfectly normal," replied her mom.

"Yeah, right."

The brunette rolled her eyes again, came in and closed the door behind her. She helped her mother to clean the kitchen, and mother and daughter were finally ready for bed.

"Go to sleep Faith, I don't want you to be late for school tomorrow."

Faith sighed openly in front of her mother, clearly bored.

"Mom, I'm not a kid anymore," she bitched. "And I'm not going to school."

"Well, I don't want you to be late for university tomorrow," corrected Mrs Lehane. "University is im…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Faith exclaimed, annoyed. "Important, I know. I'm going to bed."

She headed for her bedroom at the back of the corridor. She stopped at the door and turned again to her mother who was about to say something else.

"And I'm fine." Interrupted Faith, stressing each syllable.

The older woman kept quiet and grinned.

"'Night Mum," said Faith as she opened her door.

"Good night, little firecracker," Her mother concluded warmly before turning around to enter her own room.

* * *

Faith blinked several times and shook her head slightly. Her eyes were open wide; her breath was short. She stared at the mirror in front of her, at the reflection that wasn't her but was at the same time. She raised a trembling hand to touch what appeared to be such a vivid vision. But her fingers just met the cold surface of the mirror's glass.

Behind it, she could see a house she had never known and a girl she could have been, bitching to a mother she didn't remember that way.

Faith was split between two conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she wanted to cling to her reflection, to absorb a part of the light and grace she saw on this other self's face. On the other hand, she wanted to banish as far as she could that vision of a life she knew deep in her heart she could have had.

She inhaled deeply and took at step back with her eyes still locked on her smiling reflection's ones.

"Tara…" she whispered. "Did you see that?"

Tara didn't answer immediately but Faith didn't notice, as she was too engrossed in her contemplation.

"Wasn't it weird?" She asked again. "It was like…"

She paused a second, replaying in her head the scene she had just witnessed.

"…like I've just seen the life I'd have had if my mother had loved me…" Her voice trailed off. "Is that possible? Does it make any sense?"

Again, she fell silent for a moment, her gaze still glued to the mirror in front of her where her reflected self was now fussing in a small bedroom.

"You're the witch here. D'you think a spell can do that?"

She still didn't get a response. After a moment during which she appeared to wait for an answer, she turned to her right when she finally noticed she hadn't gotten one.

"Tara, what…"

The words died in her throat. Tara was nowhere to be seen.


	4. Act 3

"Well, I think we know what's weird in here now…" Tara said.

She turned her head toward Faith and saw that the Slayer was hypnotized by her reflection . Tara opened her mouth to say something but she decided against talking without really knowing why.

Tara turned again to the mirror. She looked closely at Faith's reflection and tried to figure out what the Slayer was so intently watching. But there was nothing noteworthy to see. Only Faith's accurate reflection was facing Faith. Same worn jeans and jacket. Same long, dark, unrestrained hair. Same fascinated eyes. Same jaw agape. Same all Faith.

She couldn't say the same about herself. She hadn't noticed at first. But when Faith had asked about herself, Tara had seen it. Her own reflection had begun to change.

The girl she was seeing now was less thin. Her hair was shorter. She was wearing a tight white shirt, a pair of black trousers and a pair of nice sandals. A leather feminine bag was thrown over her shoulder. Long earrings were hanging from her ears.

As Tara looked even more closely at her reflection, a décor started to slowly appear. A high ceiling and immaculate large corridors materialized around her figure. Then she saw a large wooden door and her reflection started to walk slowly away from it.

Instinctively, Tara followed it.

* * *

Tara Maclay walked quietly in a wide corridor. Large picture windows let in the sunshine. A discreet background noise could be heard coming from outside. Young people – seemingly students – hurried along the almost deserted corridors. Sometimes, one of them nodded to Tara and she answered with a smile of her own.

She was wearing a tight, very feminine blouse and a pretty pair of black trousers. With her heeled summer sandals, she looked taller than she really was. Her blonde hair was hanging freely on her shoulders. Light make-up brightened her beautiful features. In her hands, she was carrying several books and notebooks.

As she reached the top of the north stairs, someone suddenly put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tara!"

The voice was obviously delighted and out of breath.

Tara turned to the newcomer. A smiling brown-haired girl was standing beside her. She was a little shorter than Tara, Hispanic, thin with short curly hair. She was wearing a navy-blue pantsuit and the same white blouse as Tara. A large leather bag was hanging at her side.

The blonde smiled widely when she recognized the young woman.

"Hey you…" she whispered with a seductive grin.

She put her hand on the girl right hip and pulled her close before kissing her cheek.

"Hum…" the girl answered. "Like that welcome."

She returned the kiss and Tara giggled. Then, she put her arm around Tara's waist and both women started to walk down the stairs.

"I'm happy you came Jesse," Tara said. "I thought you'd be busy all day."

"Goddess! How's that?" Jesse exclaimed, raising her arms to the sky. "I had to come."

Silently they walked a few steps, and finally Jesse asked:

"So, did you see Professor Hartman?"

"I did actually." Tara replied quietly.

"So? What did he say?" Jesse urged.

"Well…" Tara began slowly and flashed her trademark crooked smile. "Well…"

"Goddess, Tara… will you ever tell me?"

Tara laughed heartily at her friend's impatience.

"Jesse! How can I tell you?" the blonde exclaimed. "You keep talking!"

"Okay!" admitted Jesse. "I'll shut my mouth. Please, go on."

"Sooooo…." Tara said with a wide amused smile. "I saw Professor Hartman. He said he will support my application a…"

"Wonderful!" Interrupted Jesse enthusiastically. "I knew it! I told you!"

"Jesse, Jesse…" Tara said in a serious tone. "Please calm down, listen to me…"

"What?" Jess went on, still excited, obviously not noticing Tara's seriousness.

"Jesse…" insisted Tara.

"Tara, if Hartman supports you, it's in the bag! You know it!" exclaimed the brunette.

"Jesse, I know." Tara stated calmly.

"Then, what?" Jesse asked.

She stopped as they reached a landing and forced Tara to face her.

"What?"

"We talked about this before Jesse," Tara explained. "I'm not sure I can…"

Jesse swallowed hard then sighed.

"Tara… you can…" she began. "It'll be a great opportunity for you too. I thought you wanted to come with me." She finished in a defeated tone.

Tara moved closer and took Jesse's hands in her own.

"Of course I want to. You know that. But…" Tara's voice trailed off. "My father…"

"Your father can handle himself." Jesse stated in a trembling voice.

"Tara, you can't stay in Minnesota forever." She added firmly. "Goddess, not for those morons."

"Jesse, I know you hate my brother, but…"

"You hate him too."

"My father's good man." Tara said. "It's not his fault if Donny's such a…"

As Jesse rolled her eyes, Tara fell silent for a second.

"Jesse, he's a little old fashioned, that's true…"

"A little?" Jesse interrupted in a choked voice. "You're calling your father 'a little' old-fashioned?"

"He still needs me." Tara spoke again. "It was already difficult for him to allow me to come to Minneapolis."

"Tara, you know you wouldn't live your whole life on your father's farm."

"But Boston is so far…" Tara said in a desperate voice.

"Lucky you, it's not California!" Jesse said ironically.

"If Harvard was in California, it would be California!" Tara answered in a lighter tone.

The girls fell silent and both looked down for a moment.

"Your brother is getting married in a few months. I have to admit that I don't know how he found a woman willing to marry him but he did…"

Tara couldn't help but giggle at that and a smile returned to Jesse's face.

"So, there'll soon be a woman to take care of your father and your brother." The brunette went on.

Again she fell silent for a second.

"Tara, I just need you to make a final decision about this. I have to give my answer soon."

"Jesse!" Tara exclaimed. "You have to go! It's Harvard! I know how important it is for you to go to Boston for this final year." Tara said.

"It's just…" Jesse explained in a low voice. "I don't think I'll be happy there without my girl."

Tara gazed intently at her girlfriend, her jaw agape, surprise evident on her face.

"Jesse…" she whispered. "You're not seriously talking about not going to Harvard?"

"Actually, I am," Jesse stated simply.

"Jesse…"

"Tara, we talked about this for months. It's up to you to decide what you have to do. I'm sorry if I pushed you on this."

"You didn't." Tara reassured her quickly. "It's just…"

Tara took Jesse's right hand in her left one and she pulled her along as she started to go down the stairs again. They met a group of students but none of them seemed to notice their holding hands and their closeness.

"I really want to go with you. Goddess, living in a town like Boston with you! Getting my own job! It would be wonderful Jesse!"

She kept quiet and Jesse squeezed her hand slightly .

"I'm just worried about my father. He's getting older. He may be a moron, but he's my father. Do you understand?"

"I do." Jesse answered.

They reached the ground floor and went outside. Despite the bright sunlight, the air was chilly and Tara shivered. Jesse smiled.

"Look at you, " she said with a grin. "You're wearing summer sandals in the middle of December! And people think you're a brain!"

Tara pouted and pinched Jesse's side.

"Hey!" Jesse protested. "That hurts!"

"Oh! You, poor baby!"

Jesse stopped and pulled the blonde against her and without warning kissed her lightly on the lips. Tara crookedly smiled and kissed her back.

"Jesse…" Tara said.

"Hum…" The brunette replied distractedly, her lips searching Tara's.

The blonde pulled away gently and locked her gaze with her girlfriend's.

"I've never been as happy in my life before I met you. I've never even dreamt that I could be so happy with someone."

Jesse blushed slightly and looked down, suddenly embarrassed by such a declaration of love.

"But?" she asked.

Tara smiled and went on.

"I love you Jesse. There's no but. I'm going to Boston with you."

Jesse looked up and a broad smile was plastered on her face.

"Are-are you sure?"

Tara couldn't help but laugh lightly.

"I am. You're right. Donny and his future wife will take care of the farm. It's time for me to live my own life."

"And I want it to be with you."

Jesse's smile widened even more and she pulled Tara close to her again.

"You can't imagine how happy you make me, Tara Maclay.," she whispered.

"I think I may have an idea…"

Tara kissed Jesse once again. Then she took back her hand in her own and they started to walk again through the campus.

"And you shouldn't forget that your awful cousin Beth can take care of your father, " Jesse suddenly said cheerfully. "I can tell you that girl won't never ever get married. So we're safe, she'll stay at the farm for a looong time!"

Tara laughed and pulled Jesse closer.

"She's not that bad you know…"

"Yeah! I bet!" Jesse said in the most dubious tone she could.

Tara gave her a fake severe glance and shook her head.

"So, tell me about that magic shop in Boston you heard about?"

* * *

"Tara, where are you?" Faith called.

The Slayer looked around in search of the blonde. But she was nowhere to be seen. Faith examined each direction at the closest intersection unsuccessfully.

"God, where did that damn witch go?" she mumbled.

"Tara!" she shouted. "Where are you?"

Faith randomly chose a corridor and hurried along it.

"Tara!"

Her voice echoed in the labyrinth but she got no answer. After several minutes of fruitless searching down various corridors, Faith stopped and sighed.

"God! I can't leave her alone for a sec!"

Faith was reflected many times in the mirrors around her. But all her counterparts weren't the same. Sometimes, she just saw herself. Standing still in the middle of the corridor, eyes roaming around, looking bored. Sometimes, she was differently clothed. Or her hair was longer. Or shorter.

Sometimes she was alone. Other times, she was talking with people she didn't recognize. Most of the time, she was smiling, grinning or laughing.

"Do I look like I'm having fun?" Faith suddenly asked her alter egos. "God, I'm trapped in a labyrinth of mirrors, I lost Blondie and everyone that's me is dying of laughter…"

"Except ME!" the Slayer emphasized.

"Tara!" she called and started to walk along the corridor again.

Once more she heard no reply. Faith rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. She watched all her reflections around her and still saw the same grinning faces looking back at her.

Except one. A pouting face caught Faith's attention. She focused on this one. Just as before, a décor appeared around the figure. This Faith was leaning against a wall near a desk. Behind the desk, another person slowly appeared. Faith's eyes narrowed when she recognized who it was.

Richard Wilkins III was looking seriously at her likeness.

* * *

"Boss, you can't be serious!" Faith exclaimed.

Richard Wilkins looked severely at the Slayer and nodded toward the chair in front of his desk. The window was open. The weather outside was beautiful. As usual, the large office was impeccably tidy and clean. The mayor and the Slayer were alone in the room.

"Please sit down Faith," Wilkins ordered.

Faith pouted but nevertheless did as she had been told. She let herself fall heavily into the armchair and grinned at Wilkins when he gave her a look of reprimand.

"Faith, I know you're not happy with that…" Wilkins said.

"Not happy?" Faith exclaimed. "That's an understatement boss. I just can't do that!"

"Of course you can!" the Mayor replied in a scolding tone. "And I already told you not to interrupt. It's terribly impolite."

Faith looked down for a second.

"I'm sorry boss," she said. "It's just… It's not my thing."

The mayor calmed down when he heard Faith's desolate tone.

"It will be," he stated. "I'm not worried."

Faith pouted:

"Being the slayer is my thing," she stated.

The mayor nodded, then shook his head.

"You won't be the Slayer for ever Faith." He said in a soothing tone. "A father has to think about his daughter's future."

Faith found nothing to say and gave a hint of a smile.

"You can't go on like this." Wilkins announced seriously and quietly. "Killing vampires or monsters every night is not good for you."

"I'm the Slayer," Faith said. "That's what I do. And what about your missions?"

"We've got far fewer enemies now Faith. Someone else can fulfill those missions. You have to do something other than killing."

"Boss…" protested Faith.

"All that killing is no good for you." Wilkins said. "I can see that. Despite everything you say, or everything you think, your life needs to change."

"Boss! I'm fine, I…"

"Faith," interrupted Wilkins. "You're a talented girl. You deserve better than spending your life killing things or people."

"That's the only thing I can do."

"Then it's time you learn something else!" The mayor exclaimed cheerfully.

"Who's gonna take care of the vampires?" Faith asked. "I'm the Slayer. The only one left."

"Faith," Wilkins resumed in a soothing tone this time. "I know you still feel guilty about Buffy Summers. But she was the one to attack you that night. I'm sure she would have stabbed you without mercy if she hadn't fallen off the building. It wasn't your fault."

Faith looked down again as the mayor mentioned Buffy's name.

"You've been doing your best with the vampires for years." The Mayor went on. "It's time you take care of yourself."

Faith rolled her eyes.

"Boss, I even never graduated from high-school. How would I enroll in university?"

The Mayor laughed heartily at Faith's innocence.

"Faith, sweetheart! Who's controlling the university here?" The mayor asked.

He appeared to think about it for a second then added with a big smile:

"Well, who's controlling everything in this town?"

The mayor laughed again and Faith couldn't help but smile.

"Well, it's you," she answered.

"Exactly." Wilkins went on. "You are going to study at Sunnydale University and everything will be planned for you."

Faith sank into her chair with a half-amused half-annoyed grimace.

"But…" she began.

"And you know what?" Wilkins asked joyfully. "You will still be able to slay vampires some evenings."

A smile returned to Faith's face at that statement.

"But…" Wilkins resumed seriously this time. "Not every night."

Faith pouted but it didn't affect the mayor.

"You have to go to bed early before going to class. It's important to be well reasted for your studies. I want you to be focused during your classes."

The Slayer rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing but somewhat knew it was real. Everything was possible with the mayor. That was something she had learned these last few years.

"Well, I'll try to go. But I'm not gifted for this crap." Faith finally gave in.

"Wonderful!" the mayor exclaimed. "I'm so happy that you understand my point."

He got up from his chair and invited Faith to do as well.

"Classes will only begin in January." He explained as he walked her to the door. "Make the most of your time left until then."

He rummaged through his suit pockets and handed her some bills.

"You can go to the fair and buy some candies!"

Faith smiled as she took the money.

"I'm not a kid anymore boss." She said.

The mayor's smile faded a little and he put his hand on her shoulder.

"You'll always be to me." He told her in a serious tone. "I'm proud of you Faith. I'll always be."

Faith smiled and lightly squeezed his arm in reply.

"Thank you boss."

The mayor opened the door and the Slayer was ready to leave.

"And kill vampires until classes begin!" he said happily.

Faith laughed and exited the room.

"Yeah!" she replied simply.

* * *

Faith blinked. She took a step back and looked intently at the mirror in front of her. She – or at least her reflection – was sitting on the mayor's desk and laughing heartily with him.

Faith pressed her palms onto the mirror's surface and looked down to avoid her counterpart's happy expression.

"God…" she whispered.


	5. Act 4

Tara opened her eyes. She felt a little confused. Looking around, it took her a few seconds to realize where she was. She was in a corridor covered with mirrors.

She turned again to the one in front of her and saw her mirrored self walking and happily chatting with a girl she didn't know.

Tara watched it for a moment longer then finally looked away. She had walked along the corridor following her counterpart and was now alone.

"Faith?" she called tentatively.

The only thing she heard was her voice echoing in the labyrinth.

"Faith?" she shouted louder.

She waited a few seconds but didn't get an answer. She felt suddenly distressed to be alone. Tara turned back retrace her steps. When she reached the first intersection, she realized she had no idea where she had come from.

"Faith!" she called once more.

Her call resonated in the deserted corridors. When the sound faded away, the only reply was silence.

"Goddess," Tara sighed.

She tried to remember the spell to find someone lost but it wouldn't come back to her.

"She's probably not far," Tara said to herself. "I probably didn't walk for long…"

She took a few more steps then stopped at the next crossroad.

"But what if I keep moving away from her?" she mused.

"Faith!" she called again.

Tara waited for the echo to fade away and listened carefully for the Slayer's answer. The witch winced desperately when she made up her mind to accept Faith was not going to reply.

"Goddess…" she repeated.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus. Which way should she go? She hesitated. Her instinct told her left. Tara turned left.

"Faith!" she yelled.

She hurried down the corridor, glancing at the mirrors out of the corner of her eye. Here and there, she saw herself talking, laughing, smiling alone or surrounded with friends.

She stopped suddenly as she noticed a familiar smiling face.

Willow.

Willow was beside one of her reflections. Tara got closer to that particular scene and inspected it closely. As she began to examine Willow's face, the picture faded to be replaced by her own figure walking out of a wide room…

* * *

Tara glanced at the room one last time with her hand on the switch. She was at the double doors of a big spare room where several mattresses were laying on the floor. Several girls were seemingly sleeping on each of them, covered only with thin blankets. They all had a variety of wounds. Arms, heads, ankles were covered with bandages. As one of the girls tossed in her bed, her blanket slid off and revealed that half of her left leg was missing.

Shelves full of medicine covered all the walls. The place appeared to be a makeshift infirmary.

Tara switched off the light and looked at her watch. Four in the morning. She sighed. She went out of the room and left the doors open. She turned to her right and followed a badly lighted narrow corridor up to some stairs. She went down the stairs and stopped at the next floor where she turned left into a new hallway.

The walls were dirty and gray. Drops of water were streaming along them. Dust and filth covered the uneven ground. It was dark as no light was illuminating the place.

Tara was groping her way forward slowly. The witch was pale and unusually skinny. Her clothes were dirty and dusty. She looked tired. She had dark rings under her eyes. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her body as if to protect her from the cold.

She looked relieved when she finally reached a door at the end of the corridor. She knocked lightly and entered without waiting for an answer. She carefully closed the door behind her. The room she entered was completely different from the hallway. In spite of its obvious austerity, it felt warm and welcoming.

A bed occupied the center of the room and was flanked by two tiny night tables. A small dresser was stuck against the left wall. In front of the bed, a small wooden table was covered with random objects. Two small paintings were hanging on the walls. Candles were burning on the dresser.

Tara's face softened as soon as the door was closed. She leaned against the doorframe for a second. A young redheaded woman – who was sitting on the bed – looked up from her book when she heard the noise of the latch.

"You okay baby?" Willow asked.

Tara gave her a hint of a smile and went toward the bed. She sat on the edge and took off her shoes. Then she crawled on the bed toward Willow. The redhead pulled her close and kissed the blonde when she was in her arms.

"How was the night baby?" she asked again.

"Not too bad," whispered Tara in a weak voice.

"That bad?" Willow questioned, concerned.

"No, no…" corrected Tara. "No one died tonight." She specified.

"Good," Willow said.

But she frowned when she felt Tara leaning into her arms and when she saw the blonde closing her eyes.

"What happened baby?" the redhead asked gently.

"Nothing particular," Tara replied. "It's Faith." She said after a pause.

"What about Faith?" Willow demanded.

"She's in a coma." The blonde answered.

Willow wrapped her arms around Tara's waist and pulled her closer.

"Baby…" she began carefully. "She was already in a coma yesterday, wasn't she?"

Tara nodded sadly and closed her eyes.

"It's not getting any better. She won't make it," she announced. "I know it this time. It's just a matter of time. A few days probably."

Willow kissed Tara's cheek tenderly.

"I'm sorry baby," she said. "I know you like her a lot."

Tara nodded and they remained silent for a few moments.

"You know…" Willow began cautiously. "When we lose Faith, one of the girls will be called to be the Slayer… It'll help Buffy. It'll help all of us. Maybe we'll find a way to defeat the First and…"

"Will," Tara interrupted. "I don't want to think about this right now. She's not dead yet."

Willow nodded and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry baby."

They fell silent for a few seconds, both of them deeply lost in thought.

"How's Kennedy?" Willow asked.

"She's doing better," Tara explained. "Well, she even asked me – I quote her here - 'when you'd come up with some kick-ass spell to grow her leg back'!"

The redhead couldn't help but smile.

"She's kidding about it. It's a good sign, isn't it?"

Tara nodded thoughtfully.

"She's tough," she said. "I do my best to ease her pain but it's not much."

"I know you do everything you can for the girls," Willow said softly. "I'm proud of you baby. We all are."

Tara shrugged, her eyes still lost in the distance.

"It's not enough," she stated.

Willow frowned with a contrite look on her face. She slid her hands under Tara's shirt and put them on her abdomen before kissing her cheek again.

"Let me relax you…" Willow said as she started massaging Tara's stomach.

Tara smiled slightly and settled down in her girlfriend's arms. A few minutes passed by in a complete silence.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" the blonde eventually asked. "It's late."

"I was waiting for you." Willow answered simply. "I can't sleep when you aren't here with me."

Tara turned her head to kiss Willow's cheek.

"What did you do all night long?" the blonde witch asked.

"I did some research," Willow replied in a defeated tone.

She pointed to the still open book by her side.

"Did you find something?" Tara asked quietly.

Willow shook her head and shrugged.

"I researched that idea of Buffy's," Willow explained.

"Empowering all the potentials?" Tara queried.

Willow nodded to confirm and sighed desperately.

"She's a fool," the redhead muttered.

"I think it's a good idea Will." Tara said.

"Going down into the hellmouth and counting on good ol' ex-magic-junkie Willow to make all the potentials into Slayers?" Willow asked ironically. "I knew better plans…"

"It's our only real chance to defeat the First's army."

"I won't ever be powerful enough…" moaned Willow.

"I'll help you sweetie," declared the blonde. "We'll figure something out together."

Tara turned her head to kiss her girlfriend. Willow relaxed immediately in the embrace.

"Hum…" the redhead said. "I feel so good with you."

"How good?" Tara whispered in Willow's ear.

"Hum…" the redhead repeated.

She grabbed Tara's waist and lay down, pulling the blonde beside her. Tara turned to her side to face her girlfriend. She wrapped her right arm around Willow's shoulder and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. When they finally parted, Tara simply caressed Willow's cheek with a tender smile on her face.

"I'm going to tell you how much I feel good with you," she breathed softly.

Willow pushed her face into Tara's caress and smiled back.

"Tell me baby," she said.

"I feel happy," Tara replied. "Even here and now. Even after a night watching over my dying best friend and a bunch of young girls variously injured. Even if I know we may never defeat the First. Even if everything could be over tomorrow. Being with you makes me happy."

She fell silent and bit her lip.

"Goddess, it's so selfish to be so happy when everyone else is not."

Willow smiled broadly and pulled Tara closer.

"It's not baby," she murmured. "I feel the same. We're the reason we're all still fighting."

She kissed Tara softly and pushed her gently aside to look her in the eye.

"You know that Buffy always says we're the main reason she's still trying to kick the First's ass." Willow stated seriously.

"Sending Dawn to college being another," Tara added with a crooked grin.

Willow smiled fondly at how adorable the blonde looked like and she pulled her close again.

"Goddess, what would I do without you?" she mused.

"Nothing good," replied Tara with a half smile.

"Hey!" protested an offended Willow.

Tara laughed at the redhead's pouting face and was about to reply but Willow silenced her with a kiss.

A few moments later, Tara was really close to making up for her offense.

* * *

Tara looked transfixed at the mirror in front of her. She held her hand to the cold surface and tried to get back the vision of herself and Willow in a not so wonderful world. She suddenly missed the redhead more than she could remember she ever had. She felt dizzy.

She was cold and wrapped her arms tightly around herself to try to get some warmth.

The cold was what decided her to move away from this reflection of a life with Willow. After a long last look at the image, she moved away from the mirror quickly. She tried not to look at her beaming mirrored selves and hurried along the hallways, looking only at her own feet.

"Faith!" she called.

She reached an intersection and looked desperately in each direction. Mirrors reflecting different Taras were all she could see.

"Faith!" she shouted in an anguished voice.

She turned right without thinking and hastened even more.

"Faith!"

Again, she got no answer. Panic overwhelmed her.

"Goddess, goddess…" she whispered, tears threatening at the corner of her eyes.

"Faith! Where are you?"

* * *

Faith was standing still in the middle of one of the many corridors of the labyrinth. Her eyes were roaming over the different reflections of herself that surrounded her. She examined each one carefully, curious to discover each time a different scene, a different background, a different story, a different self.

She was fascinated to see herself as a student, as a daughter, as a friend, a girlfriend or a head Slayer.

Wherever or whenever she turned, new scenes came to replace the former ones. Thousands of possibilities kept coming in succession and Faith didn't seemed to grow tired of the show.

She nevertheless looked away when she thought she heard something. She pricked up her ears but there was nothing to hear anymore. She didn't move and just turned back to the mirrors.

* * *

How long had she run down the labyrinth's corridors? Minutes? Hours? Tara had no idea. All she knew was that she was alone with no idea how to get out of here or where to find Faith.

After covering what felt like miles to her, Tara froze when she caught sight of the Slayer at the bend in the hallway. It seemed to the witch that she was looking for the brunette for so long that she had somewhat lost hope to finally find her.

Faith was motionlessly fixating on the mirror in front of her with a light smile on her lips and she turned her head toward the witch when she appeared at the corner of her corridor.

Tara sighed, relieved and quickly closed the distance to the Slayer.

"Goddess, Faith, I finally found you." The witch said.

Faith turned to her with annoyance.

"Where have you been?" she asked. "I lost sight of you for a sec and then you weren't there anymore."

"There're unnatural things going on here," Tara explained.

"I bet!" Faith replied, rolling her eyes.

They fell silent for a second, and then Tara added:

"I saw…" she began to explain. "…strange things in the mirror. Well, it may sound weird but I kind of followed my reflection down the hallway…"

"Yeah." Faith said.

Her face brightened suddenly again.

"I saw myself like in hundreds of situations!" Faith told excitedly. "Look at this Blondie!"

Tara moved beside Faith and looked in the mirror the brunette was pointing to.

"What?" she asked.

In front of them, Tara could only see Faith grinning and showing the mirror while she was standing questioningly beside her.

"What?" she repeated.

"Don't you see?" Faith asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "See how cool I look in there!"

She gestured to the mirror where a laughing version of herself was animatedly talking with a bunch of fascinated younger Slayers.

"Don't you see?" Faith queried once more.

She turned to Tara and saw the blonde shaking her head.

"I'm-I'm so-sorry Faith," the witch explained. "I just see you and me. Just us."

Faith turned back to the mirror. And her smile vanished from her face. The vision that was there a second before had disappeared. But instead of being replaced by another one as Faith was now used to, all the Slayer could see was herself. Just herself. Her worn clothes, her tired eyes, her free hanging hair. The shadows on her face.

"What should I see?" Tara asked gently as she noticed the change in the Slayer's stance.

Faith didn't answer. She stared at her mirrored self blankly. She clenched her teeth and closed her fists.

"Faith?" Tara insisted softly. "Is something wrong?"

Faith remained silent. She was perfectly still, fixing straight on the looking glass. Her face was expressionless and Tara was totally unable to tell what Faith was thinking.

"Faith?" the witch tried again. "Is some…"

She closed her mouth when she saw Faith's look changing all of a sudden. Her expression went from blank to something looking like anger. Rage flashed in her eyes.

"I hate you!"

Tara jumped at the almost animalistic yell.

She glanced at Faith with trepidation. But the Slayer wasn't looking at her at all. All her attention was directed at her mirrored counterpart.

"I hate you!" Faith repeated.

She launched forward without warning and started to pound at the mirrors with all her strength. Tara watched the scene horrified.

"F-Faith…" she tried to reason with her. "F-Faith, ca-calm down."

But the Slayer wouldn't listen. The mirrors were beginning to break under her furious blows. Her fists and wrists were covered in blood. Long cracks appeared on the glass. Tara panicked when she saw they were spreading along the whole corridor.

"Faith!" she shouted. "Stop that! You're gonna hurt yourself! You're gonna destroy the labyrinth!"

But Faith didn't reply this time either. Nothing seemed able to stop her blinding rage.

"Faith!" yelped Tara as all the mirrors around them started to crack.

A loud crash echoed in the labyrinth, immediately followed by a loud rumble.

"Oh Goddess…" Tara whispered as the cracks multiplied.

The noise appeared to snap Faith out of her trance.

The Slayer stopped suddenly to strike the mirrors and looked around her. She realized what was happening and searched for an escape. There was none.

"Tara!" she cried. "C'mon! The labyrinth is gonna collapse!"

As Tara wasn't moving, Faith took the step separating the blonde from her and stood behind her. She wrapped her left arm around the witch's waist and put her right one on her shoulder.

"Get down!" she said.

The Slayer pushed on Tara's shoulder and the witch followed her order and bent down. Faith lay atop of her to protect her as the labyrinth was smashed into pieces. She put her arms over her head to try to protect herself as bits of glass rained down on them.

A few seconds later, Faith looked up as silence returned. The labyrinth had disappeared. It had crumpled to a pile of little pieces of glass. Faith stood up. She looked up at her bloody hands mechanically and remained staring at them for a few seconds.

Tara got to her feet in turn when she felt Faith moving away from her. Surprise painted on her face when she saw what was left of the labyrinth.

"Goddess…" she whispered.

"You okay Blondie?" Faith asked.

Tara nodded while brushing dust off her clothes.

"You?"

Faith nodded absent-mindedly.

"It's time to go to bed." She said simply.

* * *

The motel room Faith and Tara shared that night was silent and dark. They had left the curtains open and the moonlight was the only source of light in the room.

Faith was sitting at the bottom of the bed and Tara was kneeling in front of her. The slayer had both her arms raised toward the witch. Tara was examining the numerous cuts on Faith's wrists and hands and trying to take care of them. Both of them looked exhausted.

"I'm fine Blondie," muttered Faith probably for the hundredth time in the last hour.

"I'm almost done Faith," Tara said. "Would you just stop fussing for a sec?"

"I'm not fussing," protested Faith.

But she nevertheless did as she was instructed and sat motionless. Tara cleansed Faith's wounds in silence for a few more minutes before the Slayer spoke up:

"So…" she began hesitantly. "What did you see in the labyrinth?"

Tara looked up in surprise. She hadn't expected Faith to talk about what had happened earlier at the fair.

"Well, I think I saw what could have been my life." Tara replied carefully. "If… if things had been different."

Faith didn't reply and looked obstinately at her hands. Tara waited a moment for the Slayer to talk. Seeing that nothing was coming, she asked:

"Was it the same for you?"

Faith nodded thoughtfully and finally asked:

"How was it?"

"What do you mean?" Tara queried, frowning.

"I mean, was it like puppies and cotton candy stuff or more of the nightmare sort?"

Tara considered the question very carefully and recalled what she had seen a few hours before.

"I was happy," she whispered quietly.

"Each time?" Faith pressed.

Tara thought about it then nodded.

"I think so," she said. "Well, there was even one vision I had where everything looked to go wrong but…"

Tara wavered as the scene came back to her mind.

"I remember that I was happy," she explained. "Even if the whole world had gone wrong, I was happy."

She fell silent and stopped taking care of Faith for a moment.

"It was the same for me." The Slayer stated suddenly. "I saw like hundreds or thousands of different things. And each time, I felt happy."

Faith looked down at her wrists that Tara was now bandaging.

"Each time." She repeated. "It was like…"

Her voice trailed off and her hands started to shake. Tara pretended not to notice and went on with her task.

"It was like?" she repeated gently.

"Like at each point in my life, something went wrong. Like everything I could have had had been stolen from me. Like each time I had a choice, I just made the wrong one."

She paused then added:

"I was better. Each single time." She stressed. "God, even if I had killed Buffy and stayed with the mayor, my life would have been better than it is."

"I could have been a better girl." Faith finished.

Tara offered her a poor smile.

"I get what you're saying." She breathed. "I kinda feel the same."

Faith looked up and stared curiously at her.

"What'd you mean?"

"Even in a world where the First wasn't defeated, where people were dying around me on a daily basis, I felt better. I felt loved and cherished."

Tara was the one to look down this time.

"And… all those other visions… It felt like everything has gone in the wrong direction… Or at least, has gone in a less good direction than possible…"

Silence fell again over the room. Tara finished working on Faith's hands and neither girl spoke during this time.

"It's done." Tara said finally.

Faith nodded and stared blankly at her bandaged wrists for a second before saying simply:

"Thanks Blondie."

"You're welcome." Tara answered as she put away the first aid kit. "Time to go to sleep."

Faith got up and went to the window where she looked absent-mindedly outside for a moment.

"Well," the Slayer said after a silence. "I guess that gives us something in common, right?"

* * *

_End of "Mirror, mirror"_

_To be continued in "Justice"_

_Please tell me what you thought about the episode _


End file.
